


Thank you, Jack McCoy

by TeaGirl42



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Business Trip, F/M, Miami, hotel room
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:15:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24561418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeaGirl42/pseuds/TeaGirl42
Summary: Olivia and Barba are sent to Florida on an errand for the DA's office.
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Olivia Benson
Comments: 16
Kudos: 88





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Happily embracing the whole trip away, needing to share a room fanfic cliche!

The trip had been planned for a couple of days. Olivia and Barba had been requested by the DA's office to go down to question a vicious felon who was currently residing in a 'luxury' private cell at FDC Miami.

Very late on the evening before their early morning flight, Olivia had received a call from Lucy apologising profusely but explaining that she couldn't stay with Noah as planned because her grandmother had fallen ill and she had to travel to Wisconsin the next day.

Olivia understood completely, told her not to worry and then sat for ten minutes before finally sighing and scrolling through her phonebook.

"Carisi," a groggy voice answered after a couple of rings.

"Sonny, it's Liv," she started tentatively.

The pair had certainly moved passed simple colleagues but for her to call this late at night he automatically assumed that it must be an emergency.

"Lieu, what's happening?" Carisi said on automatic professional alert.

"Stand down, it's not about work, at least not entirely…" Olivia paused. "You know that I'm meant to be going on this trip with Barba tomorrow?"

"Sure…" Sonny began cautiously, how was this not going to be about work?

"Well, I just got a call from Lucy and…" she sighed. "Sonny, is it overstepping if I ask you to take Noah for a few days?"

Sonny blinked, Benson wanted _him_ to look after her son?

"I realise I'm asking a lot, but Rollins is on vacation and Fin is stepping up while I'm away. I can arrange free vacation time for you - I know it will be passed because the DA really wants us on this trip…" Olivia was rambling a little now and Sonny smiled when he realised that she was obviously uncomfortable about asking.

"Lieu, Liv, it's fine," Sonny cut in, "…I'd be happy to take Noah for a couple of days. He's a great kid, it actually sounds like fun."

Olivia smiled, "Thanks, Sonny…" she breathed out. "I'm genuinely grateful."

"No problem, so do you want me to come pick him up?" He checked.

Olivia looked around the room, she had so much to do and so little time. "No, I'll have to pack some things for him and then try to get a couple of hours sleep, I'll leave early and drop him at yours on the way to the airport."

She had spent over an hour getting organised and then finally fell asleep at a little after 2 am. At 4 am when the alarm went off she felt dreadful and even after two coffees her mind was still foggy, so much so that when they arrived at Sonny's Noah had to shake her to alertness and then ask the cab to wait while they unloaded his things and greeted Sonny at the curb.

She hugged her son goodbye, told Sonny that she owed him _so many_ drinks, then dropped back into the cab and headed to the airport.

When she arrived Barba seemed grumpy - he didn't want to go, wasn't sure why he'd been given the assignment, and hated the thought of going all the way to Miami just to visit a high-security prison.

_Great._

She barely involved herself in his mostly one-way conversation as they queued for check-in, then stood to one side emotionlessly as he first tried to bargain with, and then frustratedly snarked at the poor woman on the desk as she explained that his bag needed to be checked.

"Can you do something? Wave your badge?" Barba turned to Olivia and unfortunately brought her back into the conversation.

Olivia stared at him blankly, "I don't understand why you don't have suitable hand-luggage…"

Barba raised his eyebrows at her tone, "I told you already, it ripped on my last trip and I thought this would be okay."

She looked at the woman behind the check-in desk, who shrugged and succinctly explained, "It's too wide for the luggage rack, ma'am."

Olivia looked back to Barba. "It's too wide for the luggage rack," she repeated dryly.

"Helpful," he replied flatly.

"I really don't know what you expect me to do, _Barba,"_ Olivia exaggerated his name. She rarely called him that lately and certainly never when they were alone or away from work. He raised his eyebrows. "Maybe I could force the bag into the rack using my shield?" She suggested sarcastically and nodded at the measuring device before leaning against the counter with growing exhaustion. She really just wanted to sit down.

Barba looked at her with a mixture of shock and confusion.

"Oh, hell, Barba, you're an ADA! Act like it and lead by example. Your bag is too big. Suck it up and ask the nice lady behind the desk to check it so that we can go get coffee!" Olivia finally barked.

Barba's mouth fell open slightly and the woman behind the counter struggled to hide her smile as he sheepishly checked-in his bag, muttered a slightly reluctant 'thank you' and then followed behind her toward the nearest coffee place.

They barely spoke for the next twenty minutes, then as they took their seats on the plane Barba finally looked at her with concern and muttered, "Sorry about before."

Olivia looked at him now and could see his obvious regret. "I'm sorry too. It's been a bitch of a night, Lucy cancelled so I had to call for back-up childcare and then pack Noah for two days away from home. I had less than two hours sleep."

He winced and tilted his head, "I'm sorry, I guess I was…"

"…Being an insufferable grouch?" Olivia suggested with a slight smile.

Barba dropped his head back against the headrest with a sigh. "Can we start again? This trip is a nightmare but it's one saving grace is that I'll have good company in hell."

She surprised him by lifting her hand and stretching out her little finger. "Truce?" She asked with a smile.

He linked his own finger with hers and softly replied, "Truce."

"I'm going to try to get some sleep," she said after a moment, "…if you don't mind?"

"Of course not," he replied quickly and they both relaxed into a comfortable silence.

* * *

It was school vacation, so Sonny was grateful when Olivia had assured him that not only did he not need to worry about the school run he also didn't need to concern himself with any homework or academic achievement. His job was to ensure that the two of them survived the next two nights and on Saturday afternoon he returned Liv's son - happy, fed and reasonably clean.

After they had struggled through breakfast Sonny looked at Noah, "So…Lego?"

Noah smiled and opened up one of his bags, unpacking three boxes of lego pieces one at a time, "Sure, Uncle Sonny!"

Sonny laughed, "You came prepared!"

Noah grinned, "It's our favourite."

The detective nodded proudly and his nerves began to wain a little. They sat playing for a few minutes, chatting casually and then Noah held up his creation.

"Hey, that's great, kid…he's a…?" Sonny search for a description.

"He's a lawyer!" Noah grinned and then giggled happily. "Look, he has a bag for his computer, just like Uncle Rafa."

Sonny peered closer, "He doesn't have any suspenders though, does he?"

Noah turned his creation to look closer and tilted his head, he looked at Sonny and his bottom lip stuck out a little.

"Hey, tell you what," Sonny suggested, "…I have a Sharpie. They are very grown-up pens, but maybe if you give him to me for a moment I could draw some on?"

Noah grinned, "Uncle Sonny…we could make Lego Uncle Rafa a table and chair so that he could do some work."

Sonny laughed, "I guess we could."

"Then I could give it to Uncle Rafa as a present when he gets back from his vacation with Mommy," Noah suggested.

"You know your Mommy and Uncle Rafa aren't really on vacation, right? They are working very hard, but as their work is a long way away they're having to sleep there for a couple of nights before flying home." Sonny explained.

Noah nodded, "If I had to go a long way away to do my work I think I would be glad if I got to take my best friend with me."

Sonny smiled, he'd never heard Barba and Olivia described as 'best friends' before but they were certainly uncommonly close. The ADA and Lieutenant seemed to have a shorthand and connection that he wasn't sure he'd witnessed before.

"Do you get to hang out with Uncle Rafa quite a bit then?" Sonny asked casually as he stood and opened a nearby drawer to dig out a blue Sharpie. He was unable to resist investigating a little, Noah's obvious attachment to the lawyer was intriguing.

Noah nodded and angled his head as he watched his honorary uncle skilfully draw accessories onto the tiny Lego man, then he laughed happily when the detective added a matching pocket square. Sonny blew on it and then stood Lego Uncle Rafa on the table in front of them.

"Uncle Rafa sometimes comes over to work in the evening," Noah replied as they both looked at their creation proudly, almost as though they expected him to come to life. "We play a lot though, and he always stays for dinner…and then after my bedtime story I can hear him making Mommy laugh."

Sonny smiled, he hadn't realised that they socialised much outside of work - but Noah spoke so casually about his Uncle Rafa's visits that he assumed they must be pretty regular.

"Okay…so this is going to be our project? We're going to build Lego Uncle Rafa an office?" Sonny checked with a grin.

Noah laughed and nodded, "Yeah!"

* * *

When Olivia stirred she took a moment to register where she was and then a second to realise her head was resting on Barba's shoulder.

"….No, no…just a colleague with no idea of personal space…" His familiar voice asserted with an audible smile.

She listened to Barba speaking and kept her eyes closed. Olivia wasn't going to lie, she knew he was talking about her and the 'just' hurt a little even though she tried to dismiss the comment about personal space as a light-hearted joke.

He shifted in his seat and Olivia felt herself being gently moved to a more upright position. She opened her eyes now and blinked as she looked into the friendly smile of a beautiful blonde woman with bright blue eyes.

"Ma'am, you're awake. Can I get you a bottle of chilled water?" She asked politely.

"No…thank you, I'm fine," Olivia stretched a little and glanced out of the window.

"We're going to be landing in about 15mins," the woman informed cheerfully. Then she looked to Barba, "Nice to meet you, sir, I hope you have a productive trip."

As the air steward walked away Olivia was surprised to find herself irritated. They had obviously been talking before she woke, enough for the woman to know that they were on a business trip…and enough for Barba to feel it necessary for him to clarify their _professional_ relationship.

* * *

A while later Barba walked toward her across the arrivals lounge with a scowl on his face, "They sent my bag to Philadelphia."

Olivia closed her eyes and sighed, "Oh, Rafael…"

"Just don't say anything," he held up his hand, "…they have my details and they said they'll send it to the hotel. Let's just go."

"You know if I could have…" Olivia started.

"Just don't," Barba cut in.

"What, don't speak?" Olivia's voice raised slightly. "I'm sorry if my presence is knocking you off your game, you could have just asked her for her number."

"What the hell does that mean?" Barba asked with clear irritation.

"Your 'friend' on the plane…" Olivia snapped and then shook her head. "Look, let's not do this - we're both tired, let's just get to the hotel."

Barba rolled his eyes as she walked toward the exit with her bag.

"I have no idea why you're so pissed at me…" He grumbled a little petulantly as he followed behind her. "I'm the one who lost my damn bag, I just want to get this nightmare trip over with and go home."

"You know what, Barba? Sometimes you can be a _real_ asshole!" Olivia turned to glare at him and then held out her hand to hail a cab.

The car pulled up outside the terminal and Olivia opened the door, then threw her bag inside before climbing in and snarling, "Are you going to get into this cab or not?"

Barba sighed and instinctively glanced down the street, genuinely considering getting a second cab just to try to prove a non-existent point, but then he gritted his teeth and climbed in.

"We've just been on a three-hour flight…let's get to the hotel and then you can have all the 'personal space' you can handle," Olivia muttered quietly.

Barba winced a little and then turned his head toward the window in an attempt to hide his contrition.

"What the hell is that meant to mean?" He asked somewhat calmly after a moment.

"As I'm 'just a colleague' I assume all the social time we've been sharing lately has been a real inconvenience," she explained sharply. Her tiredness was starting to drift toward nausea now and she was uncharacteristically overwrought.

Olivia had been starting to wonder if their relationship was heading toward something deeper, but his candid description of their professional association to a complete stranger had thrown an ice-cold pale of water over her fantasies.

Barba looked shocked and concerned.

"Look, I'm tired and I'm sure that you must be too. Let's just get some sleep and then I'll get in touch with our contact at the prison," she sighed heavily and rested her head on her hand.

"Liv…" Barba started.

"Please," Olivia cut in, shocked to find herself having to control her voice to hide her burgeoning tears. "Can we not...?" She asked weakly without even so much as glancing at him.

_TBC..._


	2. Chapter 2

Fifteen minutes later, they stood in the lobby of their hotel and Olivia slowly dropped her head down to rest it on the counter. "Please tell me you're joking…" she said with a forced composure that Barba worried could be about to boil over.

"I have no record of…" The woman, whose name badge read 'Camila', started again.

"How is that even possible?" Olivia looked up. "I'm here on a business trip with my colleague, the rooms were booked at the same time, how can you have a reservation for his room and not for mine?"

"My assistant called to confirm yesterday," Barba interjected.

Camila hummed and then looked again, "I think I may have an explanation. It seems that the gentleman's room _was_ confirmed, but we had a new member of staff on the desk yesterday and as the assistant only confirmed one room under 'Barba' the trainee assumed that the other reservation was no longer needed and so processed a refund. There is a note on the file."

"You're kidding me?" Olivia said with growing frustration. "How much more is this going to cost?"

Camila winced, "I can assure you that as this is clearly our mistake I would have booked you into a complementary room. However…"

"Please don't tell me you're fully-booked?" Olivia lamented and closed her eyes.

"There's a conference on at the centre down the road and…" Camila started to explain.

"How far to another hotel?" Olivia asked.

"Well, I…" Camila began again with caution.

"What _now?"_ Olivia requested with mounting anxiety.

"I've just been calling around for a guest who wanted to extend their stay and I couldn't find a room anywhere. I believe you only got these two rooms because someone called in a professional favor and…" she paused and took in the look of rising frustration on the detective's face, "…sorry, ma'am, I realise that's not helpful." She looked between the two guests and winced. "The hotel will, of course, fully comp your room," she looked to Barba hopefully.

"Not much compensation for the inconvenience considering we weren't paying for the rooms in the first place," Barba pointed out dryly but then granted her a small benevolent smile...after all this wasn't really her fault.

The woman's eyes widened and she tapped quickly on her keypad, "And we'll cover all mini-bar and room service bills during your stay…?" She added with the tight smile of someone desperately trying to disarm a bomb.

Barba was about to argue, but then Olivia cut in.

"Rafa, I need sleep _so_ badly right now…" She entreated with a tone that would have made Barba ache to hug her under normal circumstances. She looked at Camila, "Can we at least have a cot?"

Camila smiled broadly at her apparent success.

"Don't be too happy," Olivia continued dryly, "…after my work is completed tomorrow I plan on emptying that mini-bar…I may even eat all the tiny bags of nuts, just because I can."

Camila laughed softly and nodded as she made a few adjustments to their booking and then called a colleague for a cot to be taken up to their room.

As they turned and walked toward the elevator Olivia spoke quietly, "I'm sorry, Rafa. I know you like your space, but I haven't got the energy to…"

"From _you?"_ Barba cut in with a disarmingly warm smile and then he shook his head. "Let's just get to our room. You can sleep now, then later we'll destroy the room service menu."

The kindness in his voice almost made Olivia emotional again so she simply nodded.

"And before we even start the debate, I'm taking the cot and you're having the bed…you need a good night's sleep," he added.

* * *

When she woke about five hours later Olivia could hear the comforting sound of Barba at work on his computer. She smiled before opening her eyes, how was it possible that even his familiar taps on a keyboard seemed unique?

Then she watched him working at a table in the corner for a few moments before he sensed her gaze and looked up with a smile.

"Hey," he greeted her kindly. "How are you feeling?"

"Better…" Olivia reflected as she sat up. Within moments of arriving in the room, she had changed into her yoga pants and large t-shirt before finally crashing out on top of the bed. She smiled, suddenly aware of how comforting she found his presence in the room to be, with anyone else this would surely have felt awkward.

"My bag arrived about half-an-hour ago," Barba informed her as he sat back in his seat. "Sorry about before."

Olivia shook her head dismissively, "Two-way street. Besides, I guess this whole thing is mostly my fault."

"How do you conclude that?" He asked with an arched eyebrow.

"You asked before why McCoy assigned you to this trip?" Olivia started with a weak smile.

He shrugged.

"I suggested you," she admitted. "I said that having an ADA present would be more useful to me in negotiations, but that's probably not entirely true." She sighed, "I knew we'd probably be done by noon and thought we could…I don't know…maybe go down the coast for a few hours? It's stupid, I don't know what I was thinking really. You're busy right now and…"

Barba looked as shocked as he felt, then thought through his behavior during the rest of the day and felt like even more of an asshole. Olivia had hardly had any sleep, then turned up at the airport to find him complaining about being forced to go on a 'nightmare' trip that she had believed could be a nice break. He'd griped his way through check-in, not noticing how exhausted she was feeling and then she'd obviously woken up on the plane and overheard him desperately trying to explain to a complete stranger that he was not, as she had put it, been 'staring adoringly at his beautiful wife'.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and then opened them again with an apologetic smile. "Liv, can we start again?" He closed his computer, stood and then walked over to sit next to her on the bed. "Let's try this room service menu, then we can get tomorrow morning over with and in the afternoon I would love nothing more than to spend some time in the sun with my friend."

Olivia smiled, relieved to feel the tension of the day completely dissipate.

* * *

"Two steaks, one rare, on medium-rare, two sides of fries, a double portion of roasted vegetables, two cheesecakes, a bottle of the Talenti Brunello di Montalcino: 2015…" Barba paused and then trailed his finger down the menu again... ", and two slices of chocolate fudge cake."

Olivia looked up at him and laughed.

"This is all complimentary right?" He checked. "Room 210, thank you."

"Why do we need _four_ desserts?" She asked from her spot in the middle of the king-sized bed.

"No one needs two desserts…" Barba smiled as he dropped down the receiver, "…but they're free and we have a mini-fridge…we might need a midnight snack for this impromptu grown-up sleepover of ours."

Olivia laughed and pulled the pillow behind her back up a little bit, her mood was improving every moment and Barba's unexplained jovial spirits were certainly contagious.

The truth was that all Barba needed to improve his mood by about 95% was the knowledge that he was on this trip because Olivia had wanted to spend time with him. He had misinterpreted her bad mood at the airport as an annoyance that he hadn't brought the correct luggage and then found himself getting snippy with her when he'd been caught gazing while she slept on the plane.

Now he wanted to make up for contributing to her crappy day and was determined to overcompensate.

Olivia's phone vibrated and when she realised it was a call she answered quickly, "Lieutenant Benson. Yes…oh God…was anyone else hurt? No, I understand…yes, it is…okay…okay…I'll talk to my colleague about that…that too…no…no…goodbye, and thank you for calling."

She sighed and looked up at Barba with a pained expression.

"Jay Hunter died in an altercation at the prison this afternoon," she relayed regretfully.

"You're kidding?" Barba asked as he sat down on a nearby chair. "So this whole trip was basically a waste of time?" He smirked with humor in his eyes.

A small smile started to twitch at the corner of Olivia's mouth, "Rafa, it's not funny, a man died."

"A man found guilty of 19 rapes, 9 murders and child trafficking," Barba pointed out with raised eyebrows, "excuse me if I don't mourn him for long."

Olivia let out a soft laugh and shrugged, "True. McCoy will be pissed though, he'd signed off on a pretty good deal in return for information."

"Which is probably why he's dead," Barba pointed out and Olivia conceded with a nod. "It's not our problem, Liv, and not even our case…"

"So what do you want to do? We could try to get a flight back in the morning?" Olivia suggested.

"Are they cancelling the room?" He checked.

"No, but I had assumed…" She started.

"You have childcare until Saturday and I've cleared my calendar. So unless you need to leave I think that we should stay and have a mini-vacation. I'd say you've earned it," he suggested and then was pleased when a warm and genuinely eager smile spread across her face.

"Really?" Olivia asked.

"The childcare will be okay?" Barba checked.

Olivia grinned, tapped her phone and then silently called a bewildered Barba over to sit next to her on the bed as a video call waited to connect. Just as he sat he was greeted by Sonny and Noah's happy faces.

"Hey, boys!" Olivia said happily and waved. "How are you doing?"

Noah grinned, "Hey, Uncle Rafa!"

"My son has lost all interest in me…" Olivia bemoaned with mock distress.

Noah laughed, "Mommy, where are you?"

"We're waiting for dinner," Olivia explained a little vaguely, but she suspected by the smile on Sonny's face that he could see that they were in a bedroom. "So what have you been building?" She moved on quickly.

"It's a surprise!" Noah said and smiled at his Uncle Rafa, "For you!"

"For me?" Barba was surprised and genuinely touched that Noah had not only thought about him but was building him something while his mother was away. He smiled broadly and nodded, "Well, thank you, Noah…I can't wait to see it."

"Now boys, Mommy and Uncle Rafa's work has been cancelled and we're calling to see if you would like us to come home tomorrow…or maybe you two could hang out for another day and we could have a little vacation?" Olivia proposed.

"Uncle Sonny said that you weren't on vacation, you were working?" Noah asked.

Olivia smiled, "We _were_ working, but we're in Florida and our work isn't going to happen anymore, so we thought if you two were happy we could…"

"We still have a lot to do on my present for Uncle Rafa…" Noah looked at Sonny, "…can I stay with you one more day? Then we could finish up?"

Sonny nodded and then looked at the screen, "Stay and have fun, you both deserve a break."

"You're sure?" Olivia checked.

"Sure I'm sure," Sonny insisted, "…we're having a great time, aren't we, Noah?"

Noah grinned, "Yeah!" Then he looked at the screen and touched their faces with his fingertips, "I miss you both lots and lots though, so don't be too long!"

Barba was touched that Noah had included him and nodded, suddenly realising how close he was sitting next to Olivia in order to get into the frame. "We'll be back Saturday afternoon, just as we planned. Maybe I could come with Mommy to pick you up? Then I can see what you've been making. If that's okay with Mommy?" He looked at Olivia and their faces were inches apart.

"Perfect," she replied and Barba tried to control a shudder when her breath wafted over his lips.

"Okay!" Noah responded happily.

"Bye, guys! Have a great day tomorrow!" Sonny said with what Olivia suspected was a knowing smile.

"Bye, Mommy! Bye, Uncle Rafa! Love you!" Noah waved what Barba thought looked like a Lego pot plant at the screen, what the hell were they making?

"Bye, Sonny, and thank you," Olivia replied with a grin, "…sleep well, Noah, we love you too."

They hung up and Barba smiled, "You left your son with Sonny Carisi? You really did have a bad night!"

Olivia slapped his arm, "Sonny is great with him and I didn't have a lot of choices. You know it's going to take months to convince him that there's nothing going on here?"

"Going on?" Barba tried to plead ignorance, really not wanting to get into a discussion with Olivia about the 'ridiculous' suggestion that something would be going on between them.

"He could see we were in a bedroom and you _saw_ that smile when he told us to have fun," she laughed, her voice trailing off toward the end when she realised how close they were still sitting.

Barba licked his lips quickly and Olivia thought he grimaced a little as he pulled back and forced a laugh, "I guess I'll just have to let _Detective_ Carisi know that he is seriously over-estimating my league."

Olivia laughed, what the hell was he talking about? "Your league?" She asked with intrigued amusement.

Then suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"Food!" Barba announced and then quickly moved to answer.

_TBC..._


	3. Chapter 3

The following morning, Olivia woke and looked over at Barba still sleeping on his cot. She smiled, she rarely had the opportunity to just look at him like this. He really was a gorgeous man - his beautiful eyes, the line of his nose, the relaxed slight curve of his mouth.

His hair was slightly messed up from the night's sleep and a sheet that had covered him the evening before had dropped down to his waist during the night - so now his tanned, broad shoulders were on full display.

She licked her lips and briefly closed her eyes. Was it wrong to want him like this? To desire a man who had become such an essential ally and confidant?

Reflecting on her past this was not a completely new emotion. She was willing to admit that she had felt desire for Elliot Stabler, he was also a friend and someone she relied on and respected.

This was different. She rarely allowed herself to forget that Elliot was not hers, he had a family, a wife and children. Her attraction was illicit so she had teased herself with the knowledge that he looked at her. Then used her attraction to him as an excuse for holding back when it came to forming other relationships.

But maybe Rafael _could_ be hers.

He always seemed to put her first. He had no one waiting for him at home. When she talked he listened, his eyes practically burning into her with an intensity that made her feel unique and precious.

Her attraction to him wasn't heightened by the illicit, but her desire was certainly stoked by the familiar.

She knew what it felt like to sit on her couch with him late into the evening. Chatting about work, Noah and nothing-at-all. To breathe in the warm scent of him after falling asleep while watching a movie. To watch Rafael and Noah playing together while she made them a drink, having to hold back her tears thinking about how perfect they could all be together.

Olivia didn't need a man in her life, but she wanted Rafael. She wanted him in a way that she had never wanted anyone before.

But could he possibly want the same things?

As if summoned by her thoughts he blinked open his eyes and smiled at her. "Good morning," he said with a sleep rough voice that Olivia felt she could easily become accustomed to.

"Good morning," she replied and edged a little closer to the side of the bed so that there was barely a metre between them. She acknowledged for a second that, had they been in the same bed, she was on the side that she would usually sleep.

"So, what are we going to do with our one-day vacation?" Barba asked.

"Do you own any casual clothing?" She inquired with an affectionate smile.

"You know that I do, but sadly it is all in New York," he pointed out.

"Okay," Olivia said as she sat up. She noticed that Barba seemed to instinctively avert his eyes even though she was dressed in the clothes they had eaten dinner in the evening before. She smiled at his unconscious gentlemanly behaviour and dug through her bag for a pair of blue jeans and a brush.

She dressed quickly and brushed her hair as Barba turned to look at her.

"You have a shower," she directed. "There's a shop downstairs so I'm going to get you some things."

"Wait, you can't…" he tried to stop her but Olivia was already out of the door.

He sighed and looked around before deciding that he had no choice but to do as directed. He showered and was just walking back out into the main room with a towel around his waist when Olivia returned.

She averted her eyes quickly, but he couldn't help but notice the smile on her face.

"God, sorry, Rafa…" she laughed a little nervously, "…I should have thought."

"It's fine…" he assured, "…I mean, I'm _relatively_ decent."

Olivia looked back over at him, smiling and allowing herself a quick scan of his body. She took in the natural glow of his skin, the broadness of his shoulders, his overall perfectly proportioned body and suddenly felt extremely thirsty. She longed to tell him that he was far more than merely 'decent' but then smiled and forced her eyes upward to find an intrigued expression on his face.

"I got…clothes…" she spluttered with uncharacteristic awkwardness and then smiled at him, "…and these, just in case…I mean I assume you haven't…"

She dropped some knee-length cotton shorts, a t-shirt and some walking sandals onto the bed - then tossed a pair of sunglasses onto the pile.

Barba looked at his wardrobe change and smiled, he couldn't remember the last time someone had bought him clothes. Was it his mother?

"I need to pay you for…" he started.

"Don't be silly, I wanted to…" she shrugged, "…I mean, it's basically my fault you're here."

He laughed, "I was a little put out when I thought McCoy had assumed he could just snap his fingers and summon me, but a day in Miami with you? Trust me, I'm in…and you certainly don't need to buy me all this."

"Well," Olivia smiled, "…what if I want to?" She wasn't testing him, really she wasn't, but something told her that if he said no her chances were lower than if he accepted the gifts.

He looked at the ensemble and then sighed, "Okay, but today is on me…and should I choose to buy you a gift you accept it gracefully."

She laughed softly and shrugged in agreement.

"I'll change out here," he nodded to the bathroom, "…it's all yours."

Once he had changed he regarded himself in the mirror. He liked everything that she had selected, they fitted and suited him perfectly and he actually felt really good in them. He picked up the sunglasses, slipped them on and smiled at his reflection - something about the fact that Olivia had bought him the clothes made him feel even better.

He took off the sunglasses, slipped them into the deep pockets of his shorts and then heard Olivia knock quietly on the door.

"Okay!" he called back and then looked up as she entered. She wore a simple v-neck white t-shirt, with pale blue linen cropped trousers and had her hair pulled up in a loose ponytail, a pair of sunglasses were perched on her head…and she looked almost too stunning for words.

"What?" Olivia asked and looked down. "Something wrong?"

He shook his head quickly, "No, you look amazing…I mean, great…good…fine…"

She grinned, "Well, we'd better leave quickly before I get downgraded as far as 'okay'," she laughed. He looked pained and she chuckled, "I'm kidding, Rafa, let's go." They walked towards the door and as they left she added, "You look pretty _fine_ yourself."

* * *

"I want to go on a trolley," Olivia announced with almost childlike excitement as they walked along the coast. "Also, I'm going to need you to take me to Little Havana."

He laughed, "You don't need to suggest that for my benefit."

She turned, facing him as she walked backwards for a few steps. "Rafael Barba, there is nothing about you that isn't fascinating to me. We're in Miami, of course we're going to Little Havana…I'm hungry!"

Barba's smile spread at her enthusiasm, "If you're sure?"

"I want a Cubano, the best in town!" She surprised him by turning to face in the right direction again before casually slipping her hand into his. Her fingers stretched out and linked with his own and then she tugged him toward the trolley.

"You know, I'm so happy that we're doing this. I love New York, but I feel like I really needed a break outside of the city." She sat down on a recently cleared seat, toeing Barba behind her and surprising him somewhat when she still didn't let go of his hand. "It's beautiful here," she observed looking out the side of the vehicle as it started to move.

Barba looked down at their joined hands and then finally replied, "It really is."

* * *

They walked down a sidewalk through Little Havana and Olivia listened to Barba talk enthusiastically about visits when he was a child. She'd rarely heard him speak positively about his childhood so she relished every word.

She noted quietly to herself for the 100th time in over an hour that they were still holding hands. She'd made the move on a whim, half expecting him to reclaim his hand once she had tugged him onto the trolley, but he hadn't and Olivia wasn't about to let go. At one point when they'd climbed off they had been disconnected in the small crowd and Olivia's heart had sunk a little, but then suddenly she felt his hand slip back into hers. _'It's a busy place'_ , he had explained with a gentle smile, _'I wouldn't want to lose you."_

"Versailles, I've heard of that…" Olivia nodded at a large restaurant.

He looked up at the restaurant, then shook his head and guided her down a side street to a tiny little place with what Olivia guessed must have less than thirty covers. "This is where you go for the _best_ Cubanos…"

"Dos, por favor," he asked an old man near the door and then smiled broadly when he heard a shriek from the back of the restaurant.

"Rafael Barba, what are you doing outside of New York and who is your beautiful guest?!" A short and slightly rounded lady rushed from the back and grabbed his cheeks so fiercely that Olivia was slightly concerned she would leave a bruise.

"Tia Sofía," he smiled warmly and then glanced at Olivia apologetically, "…it's been a while."

"'A while', he says," Sofía looked to Olivia as though for back up, "...you know it's been more than ten years?"

_"Rafa!"_ Olivia said with amused shock, clearly enjoying his suffering, "…ten years?"

"Ten," Sofía nodded solemnly and then broke back into a wide smile, "…I will forgive you, Rafi, but only because you bring us such a lovely guest."

Olivia laughed and held out her free hand, "Olivia, and you're Sofía?"

Sofía smiled warmly, "You may call me Tia Sofía, everyone does. You must be Rafi's beautiful….wife?"

"No…" Barba rushed to correct her.

"No?" Sofía looked shocked. "Well, you need to see to that quickly, mijo, a beautiful woman like this won't wait around for you to catch up…one day you'll turn around and she'll be gone."

Barba opened his mouth to correct her again but Olivia smiled and leaned into him a little. "No chance of that, Tia Sofía," she assured warmly, "…Rafa is stuck with me."

Sofia's smile widened, "Oh…well, aren't you something special?" She looked to Barba, "Marry her anyway, mijo, a lady this special deserves a ring on her finger."

Barba laughed a little nervously and Olivia pushed him into action as Sofía directed them to a table.

"No need to order," she smiled at them both, "…I will bring you food."

As she walked away Barba looked at Olivia apologetically.

She laughed, "I thought it best to play along, if we'd tried to protest she would only have spent our entire lunch playing matchmaker."

Barba laughed now, "It's like you know my family already."

"Is Sofía your aunt?" Olivia inquired, surprised that he hadn't mentioned relatives in the area.

He shook his head, "An old family friend, my father used to play dominoes with her husband when we came on vacation."

Olivia smiled and nodded. "She's lovely," she observed.

Barba laughed, "Very Cuban..." he remarked with proud amusement.

"As are you," Olivia pointed out, "…and even more lovely."

Barba was just recovering from the shock of her words when Sofía joined them again with beers and Cubanos.

Olivia took a bite and then groaned, "Sofía... Sorry, Tia Sofía, this is the food of the Gods!"

Sofía laughed heartily and then smiled at Barba, "Marry her, mijo. If you won't my son Carlos is recently single…" Barba instinctively frowned and Sofía laughed, "Ah, Rafi, women know women, I could no more take this beautiful lady from your side than I could remove one of those sandwiches from my son's hand."

He looked a little flustered and glanced toward the window.

"Now I have embarrassed him in front of his love," Sofía smiled at Olivia, "…men, often so shy with their affections." Then she walked away with a broad smile.

"These are amazing," Olivia repeated, trying to move the conversation on.

Barba looked back at her and smiled a little, "Worth my humiliation?"

Olivia laughed, "No…nothing is worth that, but you have no reason to feel humiliated, Rafa. Let's eat these amazing sandwiches and then go down for a walk on the beach?"

He smiled and nodded, "That sounds perfect."

* * *

They walked side-by-side along the sand for a few minutes, each carrying their sandals between them. Then finally Olivia swapped to the other side and linked their hands once more. "This is perfect, I'd love to bring Noah," she observed happily and gazed around.

The sun shone down and seemed to be warming them from the inside.

"He would love it," Barba smiled.

"I bet he'd love it even more if his Uncle Rafa came along to show us the sights...?" Olivia suggested.

Barba smiled and she felt his hand tighten around hers, "I guess that could be arranged."

Olivia allowed her hopes to build a little more.

"Do you want to eat out tonight?" He suggested.

Olivia thought and then shook her head, "The food was good at the hotel, and _free_. We have a balcony…we could open it tonight while we eat? Enjoy the views..."

Barba smiled and nodded.

"It'll be nice to have a little time to ourselves before we go home," Olivia added cryptically.

"So, let's visit the market and then head back?" Barba suggested.

She nodded, "Perfect."

_TBC..._


	4. Chapter 4

As they arrived back to their room Olivia pulled her hair loose and then happily traced her fingers over a simple, gold, shell-shaped pendant hanging around her neck. It lay next to her other necklace and shone a little in the low sunlight.

"It's beautiful, thank you," she told Barba for the third time since leaving the market.

He smiled, "You don't have to wear it, I know you wear the other one all the time."

"I want to wear it," she assured, "….the other necklace was a gift after a difficult time, this is a gift from you."

He nodded with a smile and then picked up the menus, "Are you hungry?"

Olivia shrugged, "Maybe a salad? And some frozen yogurt…?"

He nodded and then called to place their order - he also chose salad, only he added some grilled chicken and then asked for ice-cream as well as the frozen yoghurt.

"We still have cheesecake in the mini-fridge," Olivia reminded him.

"We'll save that for our midnight feast," he joked happily.

Olivia grinned before walking to swing back the doors to their balcony and move the table over a little. "Perfect," she said with satisfaction.

He smiled and nodded, then put his sunglasses on her nightstand. "I'm going to splash some water on my face," he said as he headed to the bathroom, "…sunscreen," he added.

When he walked back into the room Olivia was pouring them each a glass of cool white wine from the mini-bar. She passed him a glass and he smiled and took a sip.

They sat at the table and chatted aimlessly about the day. Barba noticed that Olivia's hand kept moving up to touch her necklace and he smiled at her.

"I'm so happy..." she reflected after a few minutes.

"That you kidnapped me for a mini-break?" He teased.

Olivia laughed, "No, I guess that I…" she paused, "…that I let down my guard, or that you slipped underneath…" she smiled at him, "...you know I think you might be the best friend I've ever had?"

Barba smiled at her - a little surprised, confused and extremely touched.

"You expect so little from me…" she reflected softly, "…just my friendship and my company, you don't expect me to be anything more than I am."

"You couldn't possibly be more than you are," Barba insisted. He felt a twinge of sadness alongside great joy, a familiar response to his unique place in her life. _She loves you,_ he told himself, _just not in the way you love her._

She smiled at him and reached over to cover his hand with hers, "By never demanding more you make me long to give you everything."

His brain froze and Barba looked at her with complete confusion. He was desperately trying to catch up and decipher her words when there was a knock at the door.

Olivia smiled and shook her head with amusement as she watched him rush to the door and greet a young man. The man pushed in a trolley and they waited patiently as he set the table and produced a bottle of champagne.

"Compliments of the hotel," he smiled and then left two additional glasses on the table and the champagne in an ice bucket on a nearby desk.

"I suppose booking through the DA's office has its perks," Olivia observed with a broad smile.

Barba gave the young man a generous tip and he departed. He walked back over to the table and sat.

They began to eat and then finally Olivia asked, "So, Rafa, satisfy my curiosity once and for all - how are you single?"

He smiled a little even as his eyes crinkled into a light frown, _"How_ am I single?"

"Yes…" She continued. "You can't have been short on offers over the years."

Barba laughed, shocked at her words. "I don't…" he tilted his head, "…I've had a few relationships, some more significant than others…none of which ultimately stuck."

"You're…" she paused, "…bi? So you've had serious relationships with men and women?"

Barba smiled and tilted his head curiously, "Does that bother you?"

Olivia laughed softly, "No, of course not…I'm just interested, I want to know more about you."

"I've had relationships with men and women, both serious and…otherwise," he smiled as he took a mouthful of food and she laughed softly in affectionate amusement.

"So did one or the other seem like a more comfortable…fit?" She paused. "Or is that an inappropriate question?"

He laughed and shook his head, "You can ask me anything, I would hope you know that."

She smiled and nodded, "So?"

Barba shrugged, "How can I put it? I guess…" he paused and then smiled, " let's just say 'I like the wine, not the label'."

Olivia laughed now, "See, an extremely attractive man, successful, intelligent, kind, funny…with excellent taste in TV. I repeat - _how_ are you single? Just never met the right person?"

He licked his lips and seemed to think before answering, "Maybe…at least not in synchronicity."

"So you would want to? Settle down I mean…" She asked.

"With the right person choosing to share your life with someone is far from settling," Barba contended.

"You know what I mean…" She retorted smoothly.

"I do," he smiled, "…with the right woman I could certainly see myself making a lifetime commitment."

She looked at him and thought carefully before finally replying, "You said woman…"

"I said… _woman…"_ Barba replied with sparkling eyes.

"So you have a particular woman in mind?" Olivia asked slowly and put down her cutlery.

"Always, Liv…" Barba replied under his breath, "…and in _all_ ways."

Olivia moved across the table so quickly that all the plates and cutlery were pushed to the floor, as were their tiny wine bottles and glasses, which were soon puddling onto the carpet. Only the champagne survived Barba thought distractedly as her lips came into contact with his.

He took a moment to recover and then somehow moved around the table without disconnecting their lips. He walked her back three steps and then moaned as they both fell onto the bed.

"I love hotels," he muttered against her lips and then stroked his hand down over her ass, squeezing and groaning into her mouth before continuing his journey down to her thigh and lifting, seemingly trying to pull her impossibly closer.

Olivia laughed, "The beds are so…convenient…" Her mouth fell open on a gasp and then was quickly invaded with his probing tongue.

"God…" Olivia moaned minutes later when they disconnected breathlessly.

"Fuck, are you sure? Because I meant what I said. I, you, we…" he tried to gather some lucid thoughts.

"I want you…" she assured, "…if you want this, I'm all in. But if you aren't sure we need to stop now and give you time to think, because doing this and then facing your regrets would destroy our…"

Barba cut off her words with a quick kiss, "Regrets? Are you crazy?! Hell, you must be crazy, you want me."

She laughed and pulled him back down, muttering two words before covering his lips with hers again. "Hell, yes…"

* * *

Olivia craned her body up against him, every inch of her skin seemed to be completely occupied with blending with every inch of his.

"God…" He moaned as they came into contact for the first time since hastily stripping their clothes. He was pretty sure they had at the very least ripped his precious new t-shirt, but right now he really didn't care. He was in heaven.

Barba could only focus on the softness of her skin as his hand gripped her hip and the way her leg curled around his thigh, pulling him closer while his mouth licked and kissed down her neck. He almost sobbed when he felt her nails run across his back sharply, then he hummed and kissed his way back to her mouth.

"I…" she groaned in frustration. "I can't…I can't…"

He paused, momentarily worried that she was changing her mind.

She sensed his concern and laughed breathlessly, "I can't seem to get close enough to you, I've wanted this for so long…wanted you…I'd almost convinced myself that this wouldn't happen. And now, now I almost want to be absorbed by you. You feel so good. _Everywhere."_

Barba pulled back a little and looked down at her with surprise. Was it even possible that her feelings matched his? "Olivia…" his hand came up to the side of her face, "…Liv…" he whispered, "…mi amor…"

A tear ran down her cheek and then over his hand before he returned to their kiss.

"You're devastatingly beautiful," he whispered against her lips and then hoisted her thigh up to his waist before briefly reaching down to test her readiness.

"Rafa…" Olivia almost breathed against his lips as his fingers stroked her entrance and then circled her clit. She reached down to wrap her hand around his solid cock. God, he felt perfect - wide and long, solid and heavy - in a way that made her shudder with need and longing. "God, Rafa, please…" she gasped against his jaw and then tilted her chin up for a kiss.

Their eyes linked and the corner of his mouth turned up into a sensual smile that made her heart clench. Olivia knew for certain at that moment something that she had long suspected - she could never love anyone the way she loved this man. Not like this, not with this passion, this affection, this overwhelming hunger.

She brought him to her and he paused, "Do we need...?"

"I'm clean, I can't have kids…I trust you completely…if you…?" She looked at him with wide eyes and Barba's gaze scanned her face with such love she felt sure she had stopped breathing. That is until she felt him slowly begin to push inside her and all of the air seemed to leave her body.

"Ohhhhhhhh! God! Yes! That's it!" Olivia sobbed and brought her face down onto his shoulder. "Oh, God!" Curling up into him she held on as he pulled back a couple of inches and then powered home.

"Tú eres mí mundo…" Barba muttered as they moved together, "…me has conquistado."

Olivia gasped and tears fell over her temples as her lips reached up to cover his desperately. Her body was already reaching its peak and she could sense him struggling to hold back. "Let go, Rafa, I'm with you…" she whispered against his ear and he moaned deeply as they moved together.

* * *

A while later he fell back onto the bed, gasping for air and laughing as he stared up at the ceiling with wide eyes.

Olivia chuckled softly and turned towards him, settling onto her front alongside him, her arm resting bonelessly over his chest.

"Yeah, I know…" she replied softly as she turned her head toward him. She pressed her lips to his bicep and then left them there, smiling against his skin.

"In case I wasn't clear before," Barba whispered quietly after a few moments, he moved down the bed so that their eyes were level, "…I _adore_ you."

A smile flooded Olivia's whole face, "Yeah?"

He laughed with happiness.

"What does that mean for you?" She asked and moved a little closer.

"It means…I'd like to date you, spend more time with you and Noah…all the time I can…" He paused and then added, "…and once we've done all of that, I'll adore you every day for the rest of my life."

"Rafa…" Olivia breathed out tearfully.

"You're essential to me, 'Livia. I would never have done this if I weren't completely sure," he lifted his hand and ran his fingers slowly over her hair.

"What now?" She asked.

"We…" He smiled and shrugged, "...go home tomorrow and then see how you feel?"

Olivia laughed and he couldn't help but feel a little hurt. She rushed to explained, "I don't need time to think about this, Rafael. I need you…only you."

His eyes welled a little and he nodded slowly.

"I'm never letting you go and I can tell you without a doubt that neither will my little boy," Olivia assured. "You're his hero."

"Liv…" he smiled, feeling his heart overflowing with happiness. His guard was down, this woman had the power to hurt him in a way that he had never left himself open to before. Yet at the same time he knew without a doubt she never would. Sure they would bicker and argue…squabble even…but that would all be part of the dance.

"What are you smiling about?" She whispered softly, leaning in to nuzzle down his neck and breathe in his scent.

"I was thinking how much fun our disagreements will be now that we can resolve them with amazing make-up sex," he grinned and grazed his teeth over her shoulder.

She laughed and slapped his arm, "We're laying here in the glow of finally being together and you're thinking about arguing with me?"

He grinned, "Well, technically you haven't actually told me how you…"

Olivia cut his words off with her lips and then rested her forehead against his, "I am _so_ in love with you, Rafael Barba."

Hearing the words took him by surprise and he was suddenly completely overwhelmed. "Liv…" he breathed out almost silently, "te quiero con todo mi corazón - every inch of my heart."

Olivia looked at him and felt her quivering heart begin to settle. She felt loved, happy and safe with this man. He really was hers, and she was his. For the first time in her life that thought didn't seem archaic or scary - it just _was._

"I destroyed our dinner," she observed softly, her eyes scanning over his face, it felt amazing just to look at him.

He laughed now, his breath brushing over her cheek and making her involuntarily shift toward him. Her lips trailed along the rough skin of his jaw.

"...I'm hungry," she added, smiling against his throat now and revelling in the feeling of his deep laughter vibrating on her lips.

"I could order again…?" He suggested, his hand stroking down her back.

She laughed and nipped over his collarbone before suddenly pulling back and climbing out of bed.

Barba made a whining noise that made her smile and then watched with a slow lick of his lips as she disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door. Less than a minute later she returned, having stopped off at the mini-bar, and then took a detour to the end of the bed before crawling toward him on her knees with a bottle of champagne and two slices of cheesecake.

He grinned and took the bottle, "No glasses?"

Olivia laughed as he moved to sit up, then surprised him by straddling his waist and sitting on his thighs.

"Let's be decadent," she smiled down at him and then her eyes followed his lips and throat as he took a slow sip from the bottle. She put the plate to one side on the bed, having moved both slices onto one for ease of transportation, then ran one finger deep into the creamy mixture before bringing it to his lips with a grin. Her smiled soon vanished though as his lips encircled her finger, then slowly licked up before catching the end of her digit briefly between his teeth.

He smirked as he watched her pupils dilate, then followed her lead and brought two cheesecake covered fingers to her lips. Olivia smiled wickedly, holding his gaze as she took both fingers completely into her mouth before pulling back gradually, her tongue swirling around the tips just before she released them with a light pop. She smiled at the way his mouth was hanging open.

"Cheesecake could be my new favorite dessert," he pressed his lips to hers, savouring the way her tongue languidly moved against his, "...as long as we _always_ eat it like this."

He smiled against her mouth and then pulled back a little, holding her gaze as he sipped from the champagne bottle still resting in his hand and then offered it to her.

Rather than take the bottle she opened her mouth a little and lifted her jaw.

He tilted it toward her lips, successfully aiming most of the liquid into her mouth but then smiling as he watched the champagne flow down her neck and chest, glimmering temptingly as it reached an already taut nipple.

"I feel like," he fumbled blindly to place the bottle on the nightstand behind him, "…it would be…" he searched for the words, "… _appropriate_ to offer to pay for this night in our room."

Olivia laughed as his smiling lips met hers in a teasing kiss.

"And…well…maybe for some...'' he stretched up, his lips trailing down her neck and tasting the delicious combination of Olivia and champagne, "…light cleaning?"

She laughed, her head dropping back joyfully and then blending into a moan as his teeth grazed one of her nipples.

At that moment, Barba glanced up at her and knew that he had never been this happy.

* * *

The following morning they awoke naked and sleep-deprived, laying bonelessly on Barba's cot…he was on his back and Olivia had sprawled over him, their legs tangled and her cheek resting on his chest.

Coincidentally they had been asleep for about two hours.

"So, I'm probably going to sleep through our flight home as well…" she muttered without opening her eyes and then turned her head slightly to press her lips to his chest.

Barba smiled and brought his hand up to rest over the base of her spine, "You can sleep on me…and at least this time I won't have to try to explain myself to the air steward when she tactlessly and loudly observes that I'm 'staring adoringly at my beautiful wife'."

Olivia laughed and was surprised to feel tears well in her eyes, "Really?"

"I'm not sure that I took my eyes off you for the entire flight, I so rarely have the chance to just look at you," he admitted and brought his hand up to stroke over her hair.

Olivia smiled and this time turned to tease his nipple with her lips, appreciating the already familiar taste of both champagne and vanilla on his skin - with an underlying flavor of pure Rafael Barba. She kissed him again slowly, searching for more of him. "One of my favorite things, looking at you," she mumbled roughly against his skin.

He smiled, not only because he believed her words now, but because he knew she was speaking them to acknowledge his own vulnerability. She was saying, _I feel that too, I love you and you are not alone._

She went one step further, "I'd love to _watch_ you one day."

"Watch me?" Barba asked, his sleep-addled mind slow to catch up.

Olivia lifted her head and looked at him with gleaming eyes, she glanced down briefly and then moved up to kiss him, smiling against his lips and repeating, _"Watch_ you...you're beautiful."

Barba groaned into her mouth as he registered her words and returned her lazy morning kiss, "Anything…" he assured, his heart beating quickly, "…you can have anything."

She smiled and nipped his lower lip, "I'd love to explore this further right now, but we have a flight to catch."

He hummed but showed no sign of moving.

"It's Saturday," she ran her hand over his arms leisurely, enjoying the fact that she could, "…do you need to work when we get home or...?"

Barba smiled and kissed just below her ear, "What's work?"

She laughed and then pushed up a little to look into his eyes, "Seriously."

"I…" he ran through his schedule quickly in his head, "…I can leave it all until Monday."

"Come to ours after we pick Noah up?" Olivia suggested happily. "He would love to see you properly and wouldn't think twice if I said that we were having a sleepover. I want to spend more time with you…" she trailed off, "…unless it's too soon? I don't want to crowd you, or…"

Barba pulled her close again and snuggled into her neck, Olivia was thrilled to discover that he was definitely a cuddler. "Not possible…" he smiled and kissed slowly up her throat, "...I'd love to hang out with you and Noah this weekend."

She ran her fingers into his hair. "Great," she replied happily.

_TBC..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI - Rafael's quote is from Schitt's Creek - one of the funniest (and uniquely beautiful) shows on TV.


	5. Chapter 5

Camila was back at the desk for their departure, so she was more than a little confused when Barba insisted on personally paying for their room and then Olivia also pushed two-hundred dollars in cash towards her as a tip.

"The hotel was more than happy to comp the room," she insisted as Barba held out his card with pleading eyes.

"Please?" Olivia chimed in. "We had a small accident yesterday evening and caused some damage to the room." She passed Camila a business card. "If the bill comes to any more then I would appreciate you contacting me directly, rather than go through the booking number...so if you could put a note next to our contact details on file I would be very grateful."

Camila smiled a little curiously and kept looking at them with intrigued amusement as she added the note and then checked them out.

Barba suddenly dug into his wallet and passed her another hundred, "We're very sorry for the inconvenience."

"Inconvenience? Please, sir, _we_ are incredibly sorry…to expect colleagues to share a room and…" She trailed off and then looked between them with dawning realisation. As she continued, humor danced in her eyes, "Should I add a privacy note to your contact details? Maybe suggest that they avoid calling during personal hours?" She smiled at Olivia now.

Olivia's eyes widened and she shook her head, "No! I mean, of course not! I'm not married! Neither of us is married, or…I mean, we're single! Well, we were single..." She looked at Barba who was staring at her with a slightly open mouth, his eyes were screaming at her, silently asking her why she was _still_ talking and then looked back a Camila to find her grinning broadly.

"That's okay, ma'am, I understand," her smile remained wide as she checked them out and then took their keycard. "And…" she added as they turned to leave and then looked back at her, "...if I might be presumptuous enough to add, I'm glad these mix-ups sometimes lead to fortuitous opportunities."

They both smiled awkwardly and Camila watched with amusement as Olivia stepped into Barba's side and whispered in his ear as they walked away.

"We're never returning to this hotel again," she hissed sharply and he laughed.

* * *

Barba dismissed the possibility that he could try to catch a couple of hours sleep on the flight home, he rarely slept on flights and his mind was still buzzing. The flight was quiet though so they found that they had a row of seats to themselves.

After the seatbelt lights went off in the cabin he watched with intrigue as Olivia carefully stood and removed her jacket, stowing it next to their bags in the overhead locker…

(They had found that with a little planning and teamwork some of Barba's things comfortably fitted into her bag, meaning that he didn't need to check it.)

…She then slipped off her shoes and lifted the armrests before happily surprising him as she lay down and rested her head on his lap. "Is this okay?" She asked sleepily, her eyes already closing.

Barba smiled and ran his hand over her hair gently. "More than…" he assured.

"You have my permission to gaze at me all you like," she added with a teasing yet groggy tone.

Barba laughed and looked up to meet the eyes of the air steward from their flight in. The young woman looked down at Olivia, then smiled at him humorously. "Glad to see that you had a productive trip, sir," she said lightly.

Olivia smiled and curled sleepily against him. "You bet he did…" she retorted softly and then fell asleep to the sound of the young woman's disappearing laughter.

* * *

Sonny opened the door and was pleased to find his boss and Barba waiting on the other side.

"Hey, nice trip?" He asked.

Before they had the chance to respond Noah was incoming.

"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!" He chorused excitedly as he ran around the corner and then at the last moment slightly shifted his target. "Uncle Rafa!" He gasped happily and flung himself at both of them so forcibly that they each took a step back.

"Uncle Rafa!" Noah gasped excitedly as he finally settled. "You came!"

"Nice to see you too, Noah," Olivia smiled dryly and Noah laughed.

"But I knew that you were _definitely_ coming to get me, Mommy," he explained, "…Uncle Rafa is a bonus!" He grabbed her hand and tugged her into Sonny's apartment. "Come see, Mommy, I made Uncle Rafa something…" he smiled up at Sonny, "…I mean, _we_ made Uncle Rafa something."

Olivia looked back at Barba with a smile that said 'I told you so!' as they walked around the corner and found an office Lego set, with a desk and bookcases, tiny little pot plants and little windows along one side. As Olivia bent down to look closer she saw a little Lego figure sat behind the desk, his feet up on the edge and a tiny Lego laptop in his lap. She could see that the little Lego man had suspenders and a little pocket-handkerchief and her eyes unexpectedly filled with tears.

"Noah, did you make a Lego Uncle Rafa?" She asked with a smile and looked back to find Barba looking equally taken aback.

"I asked and Uncle Sonny helped me!" Noah explained proudly, beaming at them both.

"Baby, why does Lego Uncle Rafa have a little Lego phonebox in the corner of his office?" Olivia asked with a grin as she bent down to look even closer.

"So that he can change into his superhero outfit ready to go to court, just like you said!" Noah explained as though that should be obvious.

Olivia looked up at Sonny who smiled at her broadly.

"Uncle Rafa, I made it for you…I would like you to have it…" he paused, "…but I understand if you don't have any space for toys at your place."

Barba shook his head quickly, "Noah, this is the best present that anyone has ever given me, I will treasure it forever," he insisted.

Noah beamed happily, "So you'll take it home?"

"And put it in pride of place, so that I can look at it every single day," he assured.

"Although it will have to come back to ours tonight because Uncle Rafa is coming for a weekend sleepover," Olivia explained and then turned to Sonny and found him grinning broadly. "Between us, okay?" She asked her friend.

Sonny nodded quickly, "Of course," then added, "…I think it's great."

"What's great?" Barba asked with teasing mock-ignorance.

"Absolutely nothing," Sonny assured solemnly.

Noah frowned, "I think it's great!" He added, he was really looking forward to Uncle Rafa's sleepover.

* * *

Barba walked into the kitchen after dinner and slid up behind her, resting his hands on her hips. He looked up to ensure that Noah was focused on his toys and then lightly kissed down her neck. "The Lego man even has suspenders," he hummed into the crook of her neck causing Olivia's knees to wobble a little. He smiled when she braced herself on his arms and leaned back into him.

"You're his hero," she said softly and watched her son's activities as she dropped her head to the side a little to encourage his lips.

_"You're_ his hero," he insisted and nipped her earlobe.

"I think I can share," she smiled and turned to look into his eyes, "…after all, it's something that Noah and I have in common."

Barba felt his heart swell and he leaned in to kiss her lips.

"Can we watch a movie?" Noah asked from the couch, apparently unfazed by the sight of them kissing.

They reluctantly stepped apart and then Olivia nodded. "How about…Robin Hood?!" She suggested and her son cheered excitedly.

"Robin Hood?" Barba frowned, trying to think of a version suitable for a child Noah's age.

"Disney? The foxes?" Olivia explained as they walked around to join him. "It's his latest obsession."

Barba's eyes lit up in recognition, "I haven't seen that since I was a child."

Olivia smiled, "Neither had I until a few weeks ago, now we're very much reacquainted."

He chuckled.

As they arrived at the couch Olivia looked down at Noah, who had sat in the centre of the couch. He'd seemed to be fine about seeing them kiss so she decided to push forward. "Sweet boy, would you mind moving along a little? Then Uncle Rafa and I can sit together. Mommy's a little cold after coming home from Florida and Uncle Rafa is very warm."

Noah looked up at them, smiled and then edged along.

Barba sat first and Olivia sat next to him, resting into his side and bringing her legs up, and then Noah sat alongside her and pulled up a blanket.

As they all enjoyed the opening credits Noah turned and smiled up at Barba. "I really love when you visit, Uncle Rafa," he stated matter-of-factly.

Barba returned his smile and nodded, revelling in the comfortable weight of Olivia and Noah at his side. "I do too, Noah," he replied affectionately.

* * *

Later that night, after Noah had been put to bed, Barba walked into Olivia's bedroom and found her sorting through both of their bags. "You know if we pressed this it would be fine for Monday…" she pointed out casually.

He smiled as he watched her layout his suit on a nearby ottoman.

"You think?" Barba asked, walking over and kissing her leisurely as he guided her back toward the end of her bed.

"I've got to be honest," Olivia ran her hands over his chest happily, "…I'm exhausted..." she kissed him again. "Stay tomorrow? Then we could have a little more fun?"

He leaned toward her, she assumed for another kiss, then at the last minute he dropped his face to her shoulder, "Oh, thank God, I could have rallied…but I desperately need sleep."

Olivia laughed and ran her hand over the back of his neck, "Bed?"

_"Please…"_ he whimpered with exaggerated pathos.

They quickly changed into their bedclothes and after taking her turn in the bathroom Olivia walked back through and found Barba in bed, already sleeping.

She chuckled softly and crawled in next to him, carefully trying to edge closer without waking him up.

"Sorry, mi amor," he murmured roughly. Without opening his eyes he kissed her forehead and then moved to spoon behind her, nuzzling close and kissing along her shoulder. "Did I fall asleep?" He murmured, already drifting away again.

Olivia smiled and lifted his hand, pressing her lips to his fingers and reassuring him quietly, "It's alright, Rafa, we've had a busy few days."

**_THE END_ **


End file.
